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| Afghanistan-Pak-India |
| India, France conduct naval wargames in Gulf of Aden |
| 2005-11-23 |
India has sent five major warships and a submarine for a wargame with the French Navy in the Gulf of Aden that is aimed at building joint capabilities for anti-terror operations and interdiction on the high seas. "This is the first time we are exercising with the French Navy far away from Indian waters and it is also the first time that our aircraft carrier INS Viraat is being used in manoeuvres with the French," Indian Navy spokesman Commander Vinay Garg told IANS. A platoon of Indian Army paratroopers has joined the Indian Navy's elite Marine Commandos - or Marcos - to train with French Special Forces for missions to interdict ships at sea, Garg said. The French forces taking part in the exercise - the seventh in the Indo-French series of wargames codenamed Varuna and the second such drill this year - are drawn from a detachment based at Djibouti, a former French colony. All previous exercises in the Varuna series have been held off the Indian coast. Four pilots from the Indian Air Force (IAF) are also part of the Indian forces taking part in the exercise, and will interact with their French counterparts flying Mirage 2000 jets from the base at Djibouti. "The Indian and French forces interacted for three days at harbour, followed by the three-day exercise in the Gulf of Aden," Garg said. The drills at sea - including air defence exercises, advanced anti-submarine warfare, dissimilar air combat between India's Sea Harriers jets and French Mirage-2000 fighters, and maritime interdiction and boarding operations - will end Thursday. "The Indo-French joint exercises have grown in scope and complexity over the years and facilitated mutual learning and interoperability," Garg said. The Indian detachment, commanded by Rear Admiral R.F. Contractor, flag officer commanding of the Western Fleet, comprises the Viraat, guided missile destroyer INS Mysore, guided missile frigates INS Talwar and INS Godavari and tanker INS Aditya. The French warships taking part in the exercise are guided missile frigate La Fayette, anti-submarine corvette Jacoubet, nuclear submarine Perle, and shore-based Atlantique patrol aircraft and Mirage-2000 jets. In April 2004, the French nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle was part of a task force that conducted a wargame in Indian waters. "The Indian Navy lays great emphasis on enhancing bilateral ties and improving interoperability with developed navies through professional and operational interaction," Garg said. Ship visits build "bridges of friendship" and such exercises also provide India an opportunity to showcase its shipbuilding capabilities through indigenously built warships like Mysore and Godavari, he said. |
| Posted by:john |
| #6 Ãøþ½¨Ãè ÃäÃ÷û¤ »·¾³ÃÃÃéÃ豸 |
| Posted by: dhgmk 2005-11-23 23:34 |
| #5 Rear Admiral R.F. Contractor What a waste, should have joined the Indian Army. If you thought the surname was bad.. Rear Admiral Rustom Framroze Contractor, NM, VSM, the Flag Officer Commanding, Western Fleet was commissioned on 01 Jul 71. A specialist in Navigation and Direction, he has held various operational, staff and training appointments including Assistant Chief of Naval Staff (Operations) at the Indian Navy's Headquarters in New Delhi . Admiral Contractor is an alumnus of the Royal College of Defence Studies, London and his major sea commands include the Destroyers Rajput and Ranvijay and the Aircraft Carrier Viraat. |
| Posted by: john 2005-11-23 20:41 |
| #4 This was the Obituary of Hon. Captain Umrao Singh VC as published in the UK Telegraph Link to article When a friend told him he could sell his VC for thousands of pounds he refused to part with it, saying that such an act would dishonour his comrades who fell in battle when he won his medal. "After an hour and a half of pounding, his section, consisting of two guns, was attacked by two Japanese companies. Under his inspired leadership it beat off the attack. Though twice wounded by grenades in the first attack, Singh held off the second by skilful control of the section's small arms' fire. At one point, with the attackers no more than five yards away, he manned a Bren gun himself and fired over the shield of his fieldpiece. Once again the Japanese were driven back, and the third and fourth attacks were beaten off, with the enemy suffering heavy casualties. When the final attack came, with his ammunition gone, the other gun over-run and all but two of his section badly wounded or dead, Singh closed with the enemy in furious hand-to-hand fighting. He struck down three Japanese in a desperate effort to save his gun, but was finally overwhelmed and knocked senseless. Six hours later, when a counter-attack regained the position, Singh was found exhausted beside the gun, almost unrecognisable because of his seven wounds, with 10 dead Japanese lying around him. But the gun was still in working order." |
| Posted by: john 2005-11-23 18:42 |
| #3 Meanwhile in Haryana... Former gunner is cremated with full military honours Published: Wednesday, 23 November, 2005, 08:33 AM Doha Time PALRA: Old soldier Umrao Singh, who was Indiaâs last surviving Victoria Cross holder until his death at the age of 85, was cremated yesterday with full military honours in a ceremony attended by the army chief and thousands of other ex-soldiers. Singh, a gunner who won Britainâs highest heroism award while battling the Japanese during World War II, was cremated after an artillery salute in his home village of Palra, 100km north of New Delhi. He died of cancer in a military hospital on Monday. âA great warrior has passed away,â said army chief General J J Singh. The funeral was also attended by British diplomats and top-ranking military commanders. Women sang a dirge as men shouted slogans in Palra, one of Jhajjar districtâs 264 villages which account for 40,000 retired or serving soldiers in the Indian army. âUmrao Singh long live, long live,â shouted the mourners as troops lined the streets of Palra and hundreds of schoolchildren paraded at the funeral ground before Singh was cremated with Hindu rites. âIt was this great warrior who inspired thousands to join the military,â said retired colonel Lakhi Ram, president of the Indian Ex-Servicemenâs League, as soldiers placed wreaths on behalf of President A P J Abdul Kalam and other national leaders on Singhâs pyre. âThis man was the pride of my state and he shall remain an inspiration to us all,â said Bhupinder Singh Hudda, chief minister of Haryana state where Jhajjar is situated. The Victoria Cross winner was diagnosed with prostate cancer on July 5 and underwent surgery the same month but the disease spread to his bones and other organs later. Singh received the medal after seeing action in Burmaâs savagely-contested Kaladan Valley, where he saved his gun after fighting off Japanese soldiers armed only with the ramrod. Singh, who held the honorary rank of captain and drew a service pension, was the only gunner in Indiaâs military history to win one of the 1,355 Victoria Crosses which have been awarded. âI remember him as the most courageous in our artillery regiment and at every battle he fought like a tiger,â recalled Sergant Hushyar Singh who was part of Singhâs 22nd Mountain Division. â AFP |
| Posted by: john 2005-11-23 18:38 |
| #2 Meanwhile, in the jungles of Mizoram... The Indo-Mongolian Joint Exercise 2005, first of its kind in India, is being conducted at Counter Insurgency and Jungle Warfare School (CIJW) at Vairangte in Mizoram from 05 Dec 05 to 14 Dec 05. The Exercise is aimed at conducting joint training in semi urban terrain and hill areas as part of Indo-Mongolian defence cooperation. Participating strength of Mongolian Army is approx 25 soldiers and equivalent component of Indian Army being represented by Special Forces. The joint training will foster further relationship between the two countries. Although Mongolia and India are geographically apart, there has been continuance of identical traditions and religio-racial affinities between the two countries called as âspiritual neighboursâ. Commonality of views on many global and regional issues has extended their close partnership at the military level also. Low Intensity Conflicts are becoming global in scope. Terrorism is becoming less territorially defined, global in reach and more decentralized. The globalized world is now matched by a globalized militant ideology. Menace of terrorism needs a global approach and hence joint training is a step towards that direction. There could not have been a better staging ground for this exchange of expertise between the two forces than the Indian Armyâs unique Counter Insurgency & Jungle Warfare (CIJW) School, located in Mizoram. The School has been recognized as a âCentre of Excellence for Counter Insurgencyâ. The School trains all ranks of the Indian Armed Forces, Indian Air! Force, Indian Navy, Para Military Forces and Central Police Organisations. The School recently conducted joint training with US Army in Sep 2005. Professionalism and standard of training imparted here left an indelible impression on them. Many other countries have elicited interest in the training being imparted here and the demand is ever on the increase. Joint training with Uzbekistan Army is slated in Jan 2006. Apart from the foreign armies, it is the large number of foreign students from about 27 countries who subscribe to the various courses conducted here, Rich experience of the faculty at the CIJW School and the wide ranging training imparted here makes it the only such combat school in the world. The training imparted here attracted global attention aiding in uniting the world to fight the global menace. |
| Posted by: john 2005-11-23 18:35 |
| #1 Rear Admiral R.F. Contractor What a waste, should have joined the Indian Army. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2005-11-23 18:26 |